


Boring slides aren’t what’s wrong with PowerPoint.
Kindly allow me a short rant. Because this article from Business Insider is driving me a little nuts: PowerPoint presentations are the standard for presentations in the workplace. Except that they kind of suck …. It’s not really Microsoft’s fault....
How to use humor in a speech (without getting burned)
One of the best perks of speechwriting is the way it lets you indulge your sense of humor. Nearly every time you sit down to write a speech, there’s a chance to tell at least one joke. That’s not something most other communicators get to do nearly as often. (Try...
Draw me a speech: Six speechwriting lessons from eight years of cartooning
Eight years of drawing Noise to Signal has taught me a lot about cartooning… and almost as much about speechwriting.

Why leaders should embrace gotcha questions
The long-standing Republican hostility toward the news media was on full display last week after the CNBC GOP presidential debate. And it led them to fall into a trap that tempts many speakers: settling for easy wins instead of preparing for difficult questions. Even...